My Very Life, Paulinho Garcia

Many professional musicians perform Brazilian rhythms and songs in a competent manner, but a truly meaningful performance in this style demands a deeper connection to the style. At a basic level, Brazilian styles involves a collection of rhythms that fit together logically when spread out across several instruments; a group of trained musicians can certainly execute these musical pieces.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly how their performance sounds - like several puzzle pieces fit together in a logical and rigid fashion. They miss the subtleties and nuances that make the music flow with graceful elegance or charge forward with energetic zeal. Bringing these exciting qualities from Brazilian music requires a more authentic connection to the music where the style becomes a natural extension of the artist’s musical personality. This connection might arise from a lifetime in Brazil or it might simply emerge as a result of several years spent immersed in the genre.

Many background factors could help an artist build this natural connection to Brazilian music, but once they do, the results are magical. They begin to add breath and motion to the music, creating an unstoppable groove that screams of Brazilian culture. Combined with their own musical personalities, these artists make major statements that separate them from the stiff interpretations found across the country. Guitarist and vocalist Paulinho Garcia effortlessly performs a collection of original Brazilian Jazz compositions on My Very Life, showing the results of a natural connection to Brazilian music.

Brazilian Pieces With English Lyrics


Garcia reflects the impact of his current life in the United States with several Brazilian pieces that contain English lyrics. There’s a shade of Jobim hidden in the uptempo bossa nova “I’ll Be Calling For Maria (No Matter What)” as Garcia places an understated scat over the introduction. The vocalist breezes through a series of subdued lyrics with a breathy tone that keeps the performance firmly based in the style. As Garcia brings his lyrics to a close, bassist Brett Benteler jumps into a lyrical improvisation that smartly plays through the changes and shimmers against the sound of the acoustic guitar.
 
A mid-tempo baião rhythm leads into the deep tone of vocalist Grazyna Auguscik on “Do You Remember Me?” until Garcia returns with additional lyrics. The two vocalists create a complimentary sound, trading phrases and then building lush vocal harmonies with a low key sound. Garcia creates some contrast with a moving guitar solo that utilizes a dark sound as he moves through the minor chord changes. The lone sound of Garcia’s acoustic guitar provides a swaying sensation with a down-tempo bossa nova on “My Very Life,” and creates the perfect backdrop for Garcia’s vocal.
 
There’s a reflective sense of romantic involvement in Garcia’s performance that serves the song well and infuses a personal touch into the track. The guitarist takes a brief section to explore a smart chord solo that breaks the time and expands the song’s harmonic depth. These tracks reveal a dual side to Garcia’s lyrical abilities and create a collection of songs with a distinctly different personality.